1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the invention generally relate to the field of Electronic Article Surveillance (“EAS”) systems for the prevention of unauthorized removal of an item from a controlled area, and more particularly to a pinless EAS security tag that securely attaches to an item of merchandise without penetrating the item.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Electronic Article Surveillance (“EAS”) systems are used in retail settings to prevent unauthorized removal of items from a controlled area. EAS systems may comprise a monitoring system and one or more security tags (also referred to as labels) attached to articles to be protected from unauthorized removal. The monitoring system establishes a surveillance zone (also referred to as an interrogation zone), often at an access point for the controlled area. Articles which are authorized for removal from the area can have their security tags deactivated or removed so as not to be detectable by the monitoring system. If a monitored item enters the surveillance zone with an active security tag, an alarm may be triggered to indicate possible unauthorized removal of the item.
Security tags for EAS systems can be constructed in any number of configurations. The desired configuration of the tag or label is often dictated by the nature of the article to be protected. For example, prepackaged goods which are subject to retail theft, such as CDs, DVDs, small electronic devices, etc., may contain an EAS label disposed within the packaging in such a way that it is hidden from the consumer at least during the pre-purchase period.
An EAS label may also be enclosed in a rigid housing which can be secured to a monitored item, such as hard tags containing EAS labels which are commonly attached to clothing in retail stores. The rigid housing typically includes a pin which is inserted through the fabric and secured in place on the opposite side. The housing cannot be removed from the clothing without destroying the housing except by using an EAS deactivator/remover.
As can be appreciated, such pinned EAS labels can cause damage to the fabric in which the pin is inserted. High-end retailers and customers dislike having expensive merchandise, such as, for example, leather goods, suffer damage in order to prevent theft. Shoes are especially difficult to protect using pinned EAS labels, and the material the shoe is constructed from often suffers permanent damage from the pin.
Shoes present other difficulties for pinned EAS tags because shoe materials are often too rigid to insert the pin. Many retailers attempt to secure their merchandise using these hard tags in combination with pins, lanyards or both through a lace eyelet or in the tongue area. This practice is fine for a few shoe types, but the tag/pin/lanyard interferes with the fitting and lacing process of the merchandize. Thus, many shoes, boots and expensive or strapped women's shoes cannot be tagged at all. In addition, for items such as boots, pin may be too short to extend through the thickness of the boot material, thereby preventing the pin from being secured.
Pinless EAS systems have been developed which “pinch” an article between a housing portion of the device and an arm portion of the device. Such pinless systems rely on the static force between the housing and the arm to maintain contact with the article being protected. For articles having smooth surfaces, such as leather, removal of the device is possible by steadily working out the article from between the arm and the housing.
Thus, there remains is a need for a pinless EAS security device that is attachable to items of merchandise without penetrating or otherwise damaging the items, and which provides enhanced protection against unwanted removal. The device should be effective for protecting articles of all types (e.g., thin materials, thick materials), including those having smooth surfaces.